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The lecture discusses the concept of freedom of speech in Islam, contrasting it with historical and contemporary practices in various societies. The speaker highlights that while Western civilization often prides itself on freedom of speech, this principle has not always been upheld, even in democratic contexts. Key Islamic teachings emphasize the importance of speaking the truth, especially in the presence of unjust rulers, as illustrated by a hadith from the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) that states the best form of jihad is to speak the truth before a tyrant. This underscores the Islamic perspective that values honest discourse and accountability.
Transcript (English)
0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Dear friends, peace be upon you.
0:04 One of the things that is unfortunately not well known and not approached
0:11 with complete attention
0:14 especially directed in our time is actually the question of freedom of speech in Islam. Often, Islam and Muslims
0:22 are accused of
0:24 a lack of
0:25 freedom of speech,
0:27 of
0:27 numerous censures,
0:29 thus
0:32 various cosmetics,
0:33 and others that stifle freedom of speech among Muslims, and so on. Unfortunately, this is often true.
0:41 So, the question is how much the Arab media has reported that
0:47 the President of the USA
0:48 said
0:49 about hereditary succession,
0:51 that he must, love him, and so on. Or other statements, how much are they actually censored
0:58 in those, so to speak, countries, societies, and so on. So, what is Islam's stance on freedom
1:06 of speech? Indeed, the issue of freedom of speech is one of the issues that Western
1:12 civilization prides itself on,
1:13 Europe often speaks of the sanctity of free speech, elevating it
1:18 to a pedestal,
1:20 to a high status. However, you will see that often, it's not the case
1:36 in their societies, especially when discussing matters that do not align
1:45 with certain authorities or regions. However, let's briefly examine this.
1:48 When discussing free speech,
1:53 as they say in English, is actually,
2:03 rooted in ancient times. This ancient period is often seen as the foundation
2:10 for Western societies,
2:12 and discussions about democracy and other topics. It is said that free speech was guaranteed,
2:15 the essence of truth. Of course,
2:17 this is by no means the whole truth, rather, it should be said that
2:35 not everyone had freedom of speech back then. Just as they did not have
2:39 the right to vote, for example. Women, slaves, children, etc.
2:41 Vulnerable social categories of people did not have
2:47 the right to vote. That's one thing. Another thing, also
2:56 from earlier times, we know that the right to freedom of speech
2:59 was indeed heavily censored,
3:01 even in those so-called democratic societies that advocate democracy.
3:10 For instance, the most famous case is that of Socrates, who was
3:23 He spoke against immorality,
3:25 therefore, which was widespread in their time, and so on. For his freedom of speech
3:35 and his actions, he was sentenced to death.
3:41 So, at the age of 70, he was forced to what the Pope
3:44 poison, thus he was actually killed.
3:48 In other words, the situation was not quite like that in the
3:52 period of the Inquisition, that's one thing. Another thing is a quick overview.
3:53 So when
4:04 you take the Middle Ages, you had absolute control, primarily of the church and,
4:18 certain other worldly authorities who absolutely controlled what people would say.
4:22 Communism,
4:23 especially in our regions, it was known that people, for freedom of speech,
4:33 for writing some criticism or speech or cursing, would
4:36 end up in prison for months.
4:38 One of my late neighbors was in prison for months for cursing Tito. I don't even know what he said.
4:49 So, of course, this shouldn't be praised, but I want to highlight how interesting it is.
4:55 So, a man ended up in prison for several months because he cursed Tito in public.
4:58 This was established as some kind of sanctity,
5:07 and so on. There was simply a great censorship and not much freedom of speech,
5:10 which was perhaps mentioned declaratively and so on. Of course,
5:26 In which the Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
5:28 speaks fully
5:30 something contrary to what we have seen, thus in ancient times,
5:39 in the Middle Ages, and if you will, in communism and capitalism, which often
5:43 discipline people, thus through money and so on.
5:44 The Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
5:46 was asked, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.),
5:50 O Jihad, what is the best action? Which jihad is the most valuable?
5:54 So the Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
5:56 said, he said, 'The best of them is...'
6:02 So, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
6:04 was asked once about which jihad is the best, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to say
6:10 the truth
6:11 in front of an unjust ruler
6:13 or in front of an unjust governor.
6:16 So, this hadith of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
6:19 truly carries many messages. Believe me, if we talked about them for these ten or twelve minutes, it would be quite enough to highlight
6:29 the importance of this hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in some way.
6:32 Especially in the context of this freedom of speech we are discussing.
6:36 So, why is this important to us? Let me mention a few segments. Before that, I will just mention that this hadith has several narrations.
6:44 In another narration, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
6:46 said to the people,
6:48 thus, the Prophet (s.a.w.) says,
6:50 The most valuable testimony is to speak the truth,
6:53 in front of an unjust ruler. In the presence of an unjust
6:58 ruler or governor or thus a superior
7:01 person. Thus, this hadith is recorded by Imam Abu Dawood and some other narrators. Thus, this hadith is very authentic. Thus, it comes to us in multiple narrations. Our
7:10 Thus, these two narrations refer to two different narrations, two different cases,
7:14 where the Prophet (s.a.w.)
7:16 emphasized to the Muslims,
7:19 So, the most valuable thing is to
7:22 speak the truth
7:25 in front of an unjust person. So, in front of an unjust person, who is in a higher position than us. The Prophet (s.a.w.) says, a tyrant sultan or a tyrant emir.
7:34 So, what does it actually mean to be an unjust ruler, an unjust person.
7:39 Why are these two hadith so important to us? The first thing, the Prophet (s.a.w.)
7:45 actually says that authority as such
7:49 is not divinely granted.
7:51 Because, pay attention, throughout human history, you have movements,
7:55 you have, in a way,
7:57 ideologies,
7:58 There are regions that believe
8:01 that authority is granted by God. For example, in the Far East,
8:14 like in Japan, the king and his family were considered descendants of deities,
8:17 and thus they were untouchable.
8:25 How can you criticize something that is untouchable?
8:26 On the other hand, in Egyptian civilization, there was a similar prince,
8:32 where the Pharaoh and his entourage were considered
8:33 infallible.
8:35 Why? Because they are descendants of deities and have direct contact with God.
8:37 You see something similar in the church.
8:39 So, where the possibility was actually excluded
8:42 of mistakes by people in certain positions.
8:43 In Islam, it is not like that. So, Islam tells us, the Prophet s.a.w.s.
8:51 Teaches that every ruler,
8:54 regardless of their position, makes mistakes.
8:58 The point is, therefore,
9:00 how great is their mistake. That is, the Prophet, peace be upon him, invites us
9:06 to actually criticize those above us. Not to criticize for the sake of criticism,
9:11 but rather to improve,
9:16 and to hold them accountable for what they do, to correct the injustices they commit. So, this is the first very important message. Thus, the Prophet, peace be upon him.
9:27 It teaches us that every person in a position is prone to sin and that I sin.
9:40 Everyone is a sinner. This means those who are governed,
9:42 those who govern, and those who are led. Therefore, there is no doubt
9:54 that everyone has room for improvement and to be shown,
9:55 the flaws,
9:56 the necessary improvements, and so on. Therefore, this hadith is important.
10:10 No one is divinely appointed to be in this position, in this chair,
10:16 in any function, and so on. It is not from God... No, rather, it is a social
10:20 responsibility, a social function, and one must account
10:27 to that society before the politicians account to the Creator.
10:28 In no way should anyone position themselves above the truth,
10:36 or consider themselves exalted above the law. Islam absolutely prohibits this.
10:42 This is one message.
10:46 This relates to a philosophy in Japan, a fantastic philosophy that says
10:52 a person can always improve.
10:58 In this context, let us consider this hadith. We can always improve
11:08 and critique things that can truly be better, to be more aware, responsible, and so on.
11:10 Why does the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) say this is the greatest jihad?
11:15 Why? Because people do not do this. People generally,
11:19 flatter those in power, praising them, saying, 'You are the best, you are amazing.'
11:24 No one has ever been this good.
11:26 But you are ten times better than that predecessor, and so on, and that's a lie. So, of course, those who do this do it for their own interest. They probably don't even believe it, but it's flattery.
11:37 It's ingratiation.
11:39 And may Allah protect us, this is something we encounter daily.
11:42 In almost all our institutions,
11:44 where in fact no one likes criticism, not even those who mean well.
11:48 Many prefer those who flatter them, who pamper them, and so on. No, this is the wrong approach.
11:57 It truly needs to be changed. Especially in accordance with the hadith of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.).
12:03 Why? Because those in positions can harm those who are not in positions. The director can punish you, dismiss you, fire you, or reduce your salary, and you fear that. Since you fear that, you think, I won't say anything. Why should I? If others are silent, I'll be silent too. Within society, why should I fight for some pensions or these issues? I mean, I don't care, may Allah forgive me. People simply don't want to offend anyone.
12:44 Why? Because we fear the revenge of those in power. They can punish us, discipline us, or, God forbid, even kill us. You have totalitarian regimes.
12:55 So, there are those who are simply ready to kill.
13:04 You have situations where Muslim prisons are often, in majority Muslim states,
13:05 full of intellectuals.
13:16 People who are not criminals, but they are in prison for what?
13:22 For speech, for saying or writing often the most innocent thing.
13:26 And they ended up in prison, may Allah protect us.
13:30 So, the person did not say anything wrong,
13:32 but ended up in prison. This is, in fact,
13:35 that unjust situation, and it tells us
13:37 how much injustice, social and societal, exists today among Muslims.
13:39 So, with all its aspects.
13:41 Thus, its credibility is unquestionable.
13:44 Its necessity to be discussed today in the context of media freedom. Of course, this does not mean we say whatever comes to mind. We do not speak ill of people, spread dirty laundry, and so on; that is backbiting. No, these are forbidden things. We will talk about this in detail later.
14:01 However, we must be ready to disagree and tell someone they are a liar, a thief, that they are wrong, that they have stolen, deceived, or neglected their responsibilities.
14:12 That they have simply acted in their own interest, that they have abused
14:16 waqf funds, that they have misused
14:19 state
14:20 resources, the budget, and so on. This is something we should speak about much more freely
14:25 than we usually do. Time has passed quicker than I thought. May Allah, the Exalted, reward you for following us. Until the next program. Wassalamu aleikum, wa rahmetullah wa barakatu.